Poltimore is a village,

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and former manor in the

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Honiton, although Exmouth is the largest town. The district also contains the towns of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Cranbrook, Ottery St M ...

district, in the county of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England. It lies approximately northeast of

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

. The parish consisted of 122 households and a population of 297 people during the 2011 census. The parish also includes the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

of Ratsloe.

History

Two manors were recorded at Poltimore in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

completed 1086: the main one was owned by Haemeric (or Haimer) de Arcis, an officer in the army of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

; and a smaller one, Cutton, belonging to the Canons of St. Mary at

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. The name of the village itself likely comes from

Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...

, ''Pwlltymawr'', which translates to "The Pool by the Great House" (''Pwyll'': pool; ''Ty'': house; ''Mawr'': great). The de Pultymor family, who owned the

Manor of Poltimore The Manor of Poltimore is a former manor in Devon, England. The manor house known as Poltimore House survives in its 18th-century remodelled form, but has been dilapidated for several decades. A charity named the "Poltimore House Trust" has been ...

in the 13th century, also had a residence called Poltymore in

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. The Devon village was also spelled Poltymore, and the family's name subsequently evolved to de Poltymore, de Poltimore and of Poltimore. Historically Poltimore formed part of

Wonford Hundred The hundred of Wonford was the name of one of 32 ancient administrative units of Devon, England. The parishes in the hundred were: * Alphington * Brampford Speke * Bridford * Chagford * Cheriton Bishop * Christow * Combeinteignhead * Dre ...

. The manor appeared and is the historic seat of the Bampfylde family. The baronetcy, created for

Sir John Bampfylde, 1st Baronet Sir John Bampfylde, 1st Baronet (c. 1610 – April 1650) of Poltimore, Devon, Poltimore and North Molton and Tamerton Foliot, all in Devon, was an England, English lawyer and politician. He was one of Devonshire's Roundhead, Parliamentarian lead ...

in 1641, takes its name from the village. The manor was rebuilt into

Poltimore House Poltimore House is an 18th-century country house in Poltimore, Devon, England. The Manor of Poltimore was from the 13th to the 20th century the seat of the Bampfylde Baronets, Bampfylde family, which acquired the title Baron Poltimore in 1831. ...

, likely by

Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Baronet Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Bt., DL, JP (ca. 1633 – 9 February 1692) of Poltimore and North Molton and Warleigh, Tamerton Foliot, in Devon, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 168 ...

(1636-1691). The date 1681 is carved on the stone gate at the main entrance to the house.

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...

, in his 1610 book, ''Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland'', makes mention of Poltimore as "the seat of that worshipfull and right antient family of Bampfield." In 1641–1642, 75 adult males in Poltimore signed the

Protestation returns The Protestation may mean: * Protestation of 1621 * Protestation of 1641 See also Protestation Returns of 1642 {{disambig ...

. The population was 250 people in 1801, 288 in 1887 and 298 in 1901.

Government

The village is run by the Poltimore Parish Council. Council meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at the Poltimore Village Hall. Poltimore falls within the

East Devon District Council East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Honiton, although Exmouth is the largest town. The district also contains the towns of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Cranbrook, Ottery St Mary, ...

and the Exmouth and Exeter East Constituency.

Transport

The village lies directly west of the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

Church

Poltimore falls within Aylesbeare

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

for ecclesiastical purposes. The village has one church, St. Mary's, which has Renaissance detail in the vaulting (). The tomb with recumbent figures of Richard Bampfylde (d. 1594) and his wife, Elizabeth (d. 1599), is in the south

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

. The church was restored by architect Robert Medley Fulford from 1878 to 1884.

Nearby places

References

External links

Poltimore Parish CouncilPoltimore Village Hall
{{Authority control Villages in Devon East Devon District